Primary school pupils sold unidentified pills

By Ida Indawati Khow

JAKARTA (JP): Drug dealers have at least one thing in common: a desire to see people addicted to the drugs they sell.

This conclusion was reached by teachers of SDN 01 Pagi Kota Bambu elementary school in a slum area in the Kota Bambu subdistrict of West Jakarta.

Teachers, parents and city officials, including Governor Sutiyoso, were surprised to find last June that scores of school students -- aged between 10 and 12 years-old -- had been using illegal, mind-altering substances.

According to school teachers, Sri Yuliah and Farida, the problem began when a female dealer, later identified as Sutinah, came to the school during the admission period and introduced herself to several of the children.

"At that particular time, there were so many parents at the school to enroll their children that we, the teachers, could not identify every body entering the school complex.

"The woman made use of the opportunity by offering drugs to students saying that they were smart pills," Yuliah said.

The drugs were sold in capsules, which were coated with luring colors of light blue and golden yellow. Each capsule was sold at Rp 100 (about 0.01 U.S. cent) each.

Farida said the students, who then took the drugs, didn't report this to the teachers until some of the students started complaining of headaches.

She said the teachers managed to confiscate two capsules from the students, who found it difficult to swallow, and send them to a nearby public health center.

"The authorities declared that the pills were illegal drugs," she said.

One of the victims, Fitroh Panca Himawan, said he and his friends, had agreed to keep the drug-use a secret as they had been told not to reveal the woman's activities at school.

"The woman threatened to beat us if we told our teachers about her or the capsules," said the 10 year-old boy.

Fitroh said he was attracted to the drug after the woman convinced him that it was "smart medicine" and its price was only Rp 100 each.

"She told me that if I consumed the capsules, I would become smarter and it was not necessary for me to prepare myself for exams," he said.

Fitroh, the only son of textile company employee Rubian and housewife Sutiani, said he and scores of his friends felt dizzy minutes after swallowing the capsules.

"Similar feelings continued even after my return from treatment at a clinic. I also felt sleepy all day," said the thin boy.

Teachers at the state-owned elementary school wondered why drug dealers had targeted students of poor families.

"Probably because the school is located close to Tanah Abang's Bongkaran area, a home for prostitutes and criminals. It would be easy for dealers to operate in our school," Yuliah said.

The teachers, however, did not know the kinds of drugs that the students had consumed.

They said they could only identify five students consuming the drugs, while head of the city's education and teaching agency, Masrul Nim, said at least 20 pupils at the school had consumed barbiturate pills.

Yuliah said the female drug dealer was now jailed at Pondok Bambu penitentiary in East Jakarta, after she was attacked by scores of students' parents.